Bare facts of 2 incidents spark online discussions

Published 10:51 pm, Tuesday, February 19, 2013

In the past week, we've seen two unusual child endangerment cases here in the Capital Region.

One involves Judy H. Viger. The Gansevoort mom was charged Monday with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child after she hired two strippers to perform at her son's birthday party at a bowling alley in November.

That sweet 16 soured after photos of the party appeared on Facebook. Those images (some seriously saucy) were eventually viewed by police, who investigated the party and arrested Viger.

Online, some are calling her, and her decision, "classless." Others are questioning what else she thinks is OK for a 16-year-old.

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Should Judy H. Viger have been charged with child endangerment for hiring strippers to perform at her 16-year-old son's birthday party?

Yes, strippers are like voting and cigarettes — not for those younger than 18. (65%)

No, these women were strippers, not prostitutes (28%)

Not sure. (7%)

Should Aydrea Meaders be charged with child endangerment for taking off her top at a school assembly?

Yes, school should be a bare breast-free zone (73%)

No, kids these days have seen much more than that on TV and the Internet (16%)

Not sure. (11%)

Add your vote at blog.timesunion.com/kristi

"Stripper today, hooker tomorrow," wrote Dawn Luba on Facebook.

But several are defending Viger and saying she should not have been charged. They argue it's "her kid, her choice" or that there are far more graphic images on television.

Albany's Aydrea Meaders is the subject of the other local incident that made national news. Her story also involves nude dancing.

Meaders was arrested at North Albany Academy on Friday for doing something no mom around here has done before.

Police say the 24-year-old got up on stage — at the school, during an assembly — and started stripping.

She began by dancing and soon removed her top, according to what officials have told various media outlets, including the Times Union.

"Had this been a celebrity, they'd be calling this a wardrobe malfunction," wrote James Frederick.

Her mug shot is, perhaps, as great a subject of conversation as the act itself. People are commenting on her eyes (she doesn't appear focused on the camera lens) and her overall appearance.

What they fail to consider is that no one looks good in a mug shot.

People are also debating the "why," as in why a woman with no history of being a problem at the school, or in the community, decided a school assembly was an appropriate place to disrobe.

Friends are quoted as saying she may have experienced a dip in blood sugar. Others are calling for compassion in case she suffers from mental illness.

All that is being looked into. In the meantime, she's facing child endangerment and lewdness charges.

Both stories are top reads on TimesUnion.com and have generated conversation on social media sites. People are arguing about the charges and whether child endangerment is necessary or extreme.

In both cases, readers were overwhelmingly in favor of the charges, but nearly a quarter find the charges ridiculous.

"It's funny how freaked out we get over stuff like this," writes Brett Glasser. "Yet I'm sure every one of these 'angry moms' has no problem putting Fly 92.3 on the radio during the drive to school while Bruno Mars reiterates to their kids how the sex takes him to paradise."